Saved by the Bell: The New Class – The Seemingly Superior Spin-Off
Saved by the Bell was a phenomenon no one was expecting, but one that didn’t catch on in its first incarnation — Good Morning Miss Bliss. Once the program was re-tweaked, the core version of the show only ran for four seasons, and it was clear there was room for more. After the kids graduated and went Hawaiian Style, fans were given two spin-off series. One of these was where the bulk of the cast was intended to spend their College Years, but that only lasted one season. The group was given their proper sendoff with a Wedding in Las Vegas and a couple of guest spots before returning to the roles years later. That secondary offspring was largely written off by many fans. However, while the original cast struggled to keep their spot, The New Class took Bayside to incredible heights.
If we’re looking at the numbers, Saved by the Bell proper ran for 86 episodes over 4 seasons. The New Class continued on much longer, lasting 143 episodes and running seven seasons. Some speculate that the show was only meant to go for two or three seasons, based on the original contracts. The sixth and seventh seasons are only 13 episodes instead of 26 (just like the first season) due to them splitting the last batch to let the program run longer.
The New Class was considered successful, generating a ton of merchandise, including a board game as well as a 10-novel book series. The ratings were rock solid, especially after the initial season. Though some fans felt slighted by these new students at their high school, the show did bring in more viewers who were just learning about SbtB via re-runs, as well as an audience that wasn’t familiar with the original cast at all but connected with the fresh faces.
Much like its predecessor struggled in
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